Ten apps to save you money while Christmas shopping

Christmas is perhaps the best time of the year – but not for your finances. The holiday season is notoriously hard on personal budgets and every year your bank account usually takes a hard hit during the period.

To avoid all that in 2018, you’ll need to try to plan ahead and do as much bargain shopping as you can. With this in mind, we’ve gathered up ten great Android apps to help you save money while Christmas shopping.

Shopkick

What it is:

An app which lets you earn points (called kicks) as you shop for the items you need. You can cash the kicks in for gift cards that can be used at a wide range of retailers.

Why we like it:

Shopkick includes four simple ways to earn kicks: walk-ins, scans, receipts, or linked card. For example, when the app detects your location (let’s say Walmart) you’ll automatically receive 25 kicks at the entrance. Scanning recipients can earn you 100 to 500 kicks while scanning items will get you 10 to 50 kicks. Link your credit card and you can earn up to 200 kicks.

Fun fact: you don’t have to actually buy the products you scan. Simply walk in the store and scan items for kicks.

Users can quickly redeem their points by clicking on the balance number.

The app also allows users to earn money by shopping online. Although the process is a bit different here. This time around, you’ll be awarded kicks for every dollar you spend. Tap the Offers icon in the app, to see the online kick offers.

Need more kicks? Simply refer a friend. This can earn you up to 2,500 kicks.

Shopkick allows you to earn gift cards to shop at popular retailers like Walmart, Target, Sephora, Nike, HomeGoods and so on.

RetailMeNot

What it is:

An award-winning app that lets you access thousands of nearby deals from your favorites stores, as well as restaurants.

Why we like it:

App unlocks deals on everything from electronics and beauty products to clothing and food (in case you need help in the kitchen this Christmas) from retailers you love like Kohl’s, Bath&Body Works or JCPenny.

Find discounts near your location. The app includes a handy mall map.

The app notifies you when new deals nearby become available.

Redeem your coupons directly from the app, including discount gift cards and in-store Cash Back Offers.

Ebates

What it is:

It’s never too early to start planning for Christmas. Which is why you should totally take advantage of the Black Friday shopping holiday for gift shopping purposes. And with the Ebates app, you can do just that.

Why we like it:

Contains a section dedicated to the Black Friday 2018 event. Use the app to save money with deals and coupons or get cash back at eBay, Walmart, Amazon and more (online or otherwise)

Need help carrying all the gifts you just bought? Ebates lets you cash back on Lyft rides. You can get $1 cash back on every ride.

Squirrel

What is it:

We’re two months removed from Christmas, so it might be time to do some saving up. Better late than never, right? The Squirrel app helps you that.

Why we like it:

We know how hard is to put money aside. But Squirrel is a powerful tool which basically handles your paycheck. To use it you will have to agree to get your salary paid into a separate account, which is handled by Barclays.

The app will gradually release money back into your usual account, so you don’t spend it all at once.

You can tell the app when bills are due and disposable income is handed off in weekly installments.

Great app if you want to make sure you’ve put some money aside for Christmas shopping.

Christmas Gift List

What it is:

A simple app that makes setting up Christmas gift lists a breeze. Never buy a last-minute gift ever again.

Why we like it:

Buying gifts last minute is a lot more expensive, so if you want to make sure you save some money this holiday season, you better try and do your Christmas shopping in advance. The Christmas Gift List app will help you do that, by allowing you easily set up shopping lists for ALL your family members and friends.

Each gift entry contains a picture, personalized note and link, as well as the budget allotted to it.

The app also displays useful stats like money spent so far and the total budget.

LetGo

A very easy to use app that allows you to have your items up and for sale in just a few minutes.

Simply take a picture of what you’d like to sell, set a price and choose a category for it. You can also add some additional details to make the offer more attractive. Don’t forget to set your location, so local buyers can find you.

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